BJP names Bihar min Nabin as working prez
A five-time MLA, Nitin Nabin represents the Bankipur assembly constituency in Bihar and won the recently held polls by over 51,000 votes. Son of veteran BJP leader Nabin Kishore, he has served twice as a state minister
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s highest decision-making body, the Parliamentary Board, on Sunday appointed Bihar cabinet minister Nitin Nabin as the party’s new working president, with people aware of the matter saying that he is likely to be elevated as the national president next month.
Union health minister JP Nadda, 65, who was appointed party president in January 2020, had completed his term in 2024 but was granted an extension to lead the party through last year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Nabin, 45, the BJP’s youngest working president, will lead the party as it gears up for next year’s assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, unless a full-time president is appointed before the polls. BJP functionaries, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he is expected to assume the national president’s post in January, followed by a national executive committee meeting to ratify his appointment.
“He is a young and industrious leader with rich organisational experience and has an impressive record as MLA as well as minister in Bihar for multiple terms. He has diligently worked to fulfil people’s aspirations… I am confident that his energy and dedication will strengthen our Party in the times to come,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X.
A five-time MLA, Nitin Nabin represents the Bankipur assembly constituency in Bihar and won the recently held polls by over 51,000 votes. Son of veteran BJP leader Nabin Kishore, he has served twice as a state minister.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the central leadership… for giving me this opportunity. I have the Prime Minister’s blessings, and I will further advance the guidance and leadership he has provided,” Nabin said.
Apart from legislative experience, Nitin Nabin has held various organisational roles, including serving as the election in-charge for Sikkim in the 2019 election and as state in-charge of Chhattisgarh for 2023 state polls. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s decisive victory in the recently concluded Bihar polls may have also worked in his favour, a party functionary said.
Home minister Amit Shah praised Nabin for his work, saying he has fulfilled every responsibility with “complete dedication and success”. “His elevation today to the position of national working president is an honour for every young BJP worker who toils day and night,” Shah said.
The appointment of Nabin, an upper-caste leader, aligns with the party’s strategy of appointing younger members to key positions. Since 2014, when the BJP came to power at the Centre, the high command has generally preferred appointing state and office bearers under 55 years of age to train future leaders, though several exceptions exist.
“His appointment does signal a generational shift in the party…” said the functionary quoted above.
A high school graduate, Nabin served as the national general secretary of the Yuva Morcha, the party’s youth wing, and also as president of the Yuva Morcha’s Bihar unit. “In 2006, when his father passed away, he had to drop out of college after the party decided to field him for the by-poll from the Patna West constituency… he has since been actively involved in the state unit. Compared to other presidents, he has more experience working in the state than the national team,” said a second party functionary.
He also participated in the 2011 Ekta Yatra, spearheaded by Modi, which began in Sitamarhi, Bihar, and concluded in Srinagar, with the unfurling of the national flag at Lal Chowk.
In June 2019, Nadda was appointed working president when Shah, then party president, became the Union home minister. He was formally declared national president in January 2020, facing no opposition to his candidacy.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the dynamic BJP leader from the sacred land of knowledge and culture, Bihar, and Minister in the Bihar Government, Shri @NitinNabin ji, on his appointment,” Nadda posted on X.
At the BJP’s national executive committee meeting in January 2024, it was decided to give Nadda, who is also the union minister for health and family welfare, an extension until the general elections concluded.
As per the party’s constitution, the term of the national president is three years, and an individual can hold the post for a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms. The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the national council and state councils. The election process begins with a membership drive and organisational polls at the mandal, district, and state levels in at least 50% of the states. The candidature proposal is then made by the states and the parliamentary party.
(With inputs from Patna bureau)
